The Last Summer
by Ms. Marla
Summary: Chiron receives a disturbing IrisMessage from an unknown sender and it launches Percy, Annabeth, and Grover onto a perilous quest. They will meet new friends and make new enemies. Things are changing, and not for the better.
1. I Am Embarrassed by Yellow Gloves

**The Last Summer**

-x-x-x-

_I Am Embarrassed By Yellow Gloves_

A light rain was pattering against the windows of the kitchen, where I stood drinking a soda. I stared through the glass at the dreary April evening, not really looking forward to the task at hand. My mom had gone out for the evening with her new boyfriend, Mr Blowfish. She had left me to do the dishes.

Don't take that the wrong way. I was all for my mom being happy, she deserved it more than a lot of other people. And I didn't mind doing chores to help her out. But I was really tired. I pretty much wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for a century, like Sleeping Beauty – minus the dress.

So here I was, a son of Poseidon, staring at a whole stack of dirty plates. With an unenthusiastic yawn, I tore my eyes away from the water drops rolling down the window, put my soda back in the fridge, and started scrubbing the first plate.

As the sponge wiped away the remnants of last night's Pasta Bolognese, I couldn't help but to think of my last big adventure. Everything had happened so long ago, it seemed surreal. In fact, I probably would have passed it off as some really messed up dream if Annabeth wasn't constantly reminding me just how real winter break had been.

You see, we've kept in constant contact – Annabeth and I, just in case anything ever happens in the world of prophecies and monsters. It's been pretty quiet lately, which kind of bothers me. Nico, the poor kid who has no idea Hades is his father, is out there alone somewhere, plotting his revenge on me. At least, I hope he's alone. It would be better than him being recruited by Luke, who apparently survived his fall down the side of a cliff.

At the thought of Luke, I shuddered. Not in fear or anything, because he's a coward. It's more of an angry shudder. Luke really makes me mad. The way he acts, the things he's done, the fact that he's tried to kill me more than once…I think I'm entitled to feel a bit of hatred for the guy.

I got so immersed in my thoughts that it took me a while to hear the familiar voice that was calling my name.

"Percy?"

After some blinking, I focused in on reality again and saw the activities director at Camp Half-Blood standing right in front if me. Only, he wasn't technically there. It was an IM, an Iris-Message – sent through means of Iris, the personification of the rainbow.

"Chiron," I replied, suddenly aware of how ridiculous I must have looked. I was wearing these big, yellow gloves for a reason I don't even remember. It just seemed appropriate at the time. I quickly pulled the gloves off, hoping that Chiron was the only one in the room. If someone else, for example Dionysus, had seen that I would probably be taunted for the better half of the summer.

Which reminded me…

"It's only April," I muttered, "Is something wrong?"

The look on the centaur's face told me everything I needed to know. There was definitely something wrong. I found myself instantly thinking of Annabeth and hoping, beyond anything else, that she was okay.

"It's Nico," Chiron said solemnly. I knew that was bad news, but I still let out a sigh of relief. Chiron must have heard because he looked at me quizzically and I instantly put on my best 'Concerned Percy' face.

"So what happened," I asked. Chiron breathed deeply. I had never seen him looking so stressed, not even when he was marking horrendous Latin papers.

"I received an Iris-Message earlier," Chiron began, "But there was only one problem. I did not see the sender. It was as if they were hidden in the shadows. It worries me, especially what I saw in the message."

"What was it?" I asked, totally interested now. Chiron bit his lip nervously. I knew that look. It was the look every adult gave a child when they were unsure of something.

"I don't want to say much right now," Chiron said, "Let's just say it would be best for you to get to camp as soon as possible."

This was definitely bad. Whatever Chiron had seen in that message had him scared. And I couldn't help but feel the fear trickle into my stomach.

"What about Annabeth?" I asked; not even realizing the words had leaked from my mouth. I felt myself instantly flush at the thought of my friend. Chiron nodded.

"I already contacted her and she's on her way from San Francisco. Anyways, Dionysus is calling. I have to go. Be careful Percy. Things are changing."

With that, Chiron waved his hand and the mist in my kitchen disappeared. I was left by myself again, my eyes darting around the room nervously.

_Things are changing._

It was definitely a scary thought. I decided that Chiron was right. The sooner I got to camp, the better. I quickly scrawled a note to my mom, hoping she could read my awful handwriting, telling her where I would be and that I would contact her as soon as I reached camp.

I quickly packed a backpack with a few changed of clothes and put Riptide in my pocket. Saying a quick prayer to my father for protection, I stepped out into the rapidly fading day, instantly getting soaked to the bone. I should have remembered to turn my anti-water shield on. Oh well, too late now.

My next stop was Camp Half-Blood.

It was a pretty far journey.

For the second time that night, I was not looking forward to the task at hand.

-x-x-x-

_A/N: Well, I hope you all enjoyed that first chapter. Please review and let me know what you thought and whether or not I should continue. Constructive criticism is welcome. Also, please remember I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians._

_Cheers!_

_-Liv xoxo_


	2. I Find a Feathery Umbrella

_I Find a Feathery Umbrella_

-x-x-x-

I had been walking for no more than ten minutes and I already felt the sniffles setting in. There was no doubt in my mind – I would totally look like Rudolph by the time I reached camp. That thought was less than comforting.

It seemed that no one was out on the streets that evening. People were being smart and staying out of the rain. As I trudged along the wet sidewalk, a few cars passed by with their windshield wipers going nuts. It was a pretty depressing night.

And then I saw them – two kids standing on the corner of street under a ratty black umbrella. From a distance they seemed to be bickering, but as soon as they caught sight of me they stopped and stared. The boy looked older than me, with messy blond hair that fell into his dancing eyes. And the girl, who was holding the umbrella, looked quite a few years younger, maybe the age I was when I first found out I was a half-blood. Her neat auburn braids were whipping around in the wind. I figured that they were brother and sister, even though they looked nothing alike. Then again, I looked nothing like my half-brother Tyson. We didn't even have the same number of eyes.

Now, I absolutely hated being stared at, so I purposely kept my eyes glued to the ground. It wasn't until I turned the corner that I knew those kids weren't normal. There was a very familiar red Maserati parked at the end of the street. I turned on my heel right away and came face to face with the kids from the corner. The girl wore an expression between humour and disapproval while the boy was smiling wildly. It was then that I realized the girl was not holding an umbrella. In fact, the brother and sister were shielded from the rain by a large black eagle. I was dumbstruck. And of course I felt stupid for not having noticed before.

"Lady Artemis," I murmured, bowing my head, "Lord Apollo."

"Percy, my main man," Apollo grabbed my head and shook it enthusiastically; "Nice to see you're still alive. Have you written me that haiku yet? I wrote about ten since that party at Olympus. You have got to…"

He was interrupted by Artemis shoving her way in front of him. I let out a quick, barely audible sigh of relief. Apollo's poetry was not good. Not even close to good. Perhaps further from good than Luke, and that was pretty far.

"Young hero," Artemis shook my hand curtly, "You look like you could use some help."

"Help would be great," I said thankfully. Then a thought struck me. I looked around the street quickly. Artemis smiled knowingly, as if she could read my thoughts.

"The Hunters are not here," she said. I nodded nonchalantly, acting as though I was not totally freaked out that she had just read my mind.

"How's Thalia doing?" I asked. Thalia had joined the Hunters on the winter solstice so she would never grow up to be sixteen. She could never be the child of the prophecy.

"Thalia is well," Artemis replied, "She is a good huntress as I knew she would be. She is…"

This time, it was Apollo's turn to interrupt. His budding in came in the form of a very forced, very large yawn. I pretty much interpreted that the god was not so subtly telling us 'Apollo is bored.'

"Brother," Artemis sighed exasperatedly, "Must you be so barbaric?" Apollo rolled his eyes dramatically but did not answer. Instead he turned to me.

"So kid, you headed back to camp?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "Chiron said it was important. It's going to take me forever to get there…if one of you was…"

I wasn't exactly sure how to ask for a lift. I mean, I was standing here with two Olympians, and sure one had a really nice sports car, but I didn't know whether or not it was rude to ask. It seemed that my complete cluelessness was funny because Apollo couldn't stop chuckling. Artemis looked at him disapprovingly.

"Excuse my brother," she said loudly, "Almost four thousand years old and he still acts like a child. It is alright Percy, I can take you to camp if you'd like."

Artemis snapped her fingers and her beautiful silver chariot appeared next to the Maserati. The eagle, who had been flapping above her head the entire time, let out a great screech and flew over to the chariot, wrapping it's talons around the rim. Artemis and Apollo – who was still laughing – didn't seem too upset though. The water seemed to roll right off of them, like the ocean water did to me.

"Shall we?" Artemis asked, knocking me out of my reverie.

"Sure," I nodded, following the goddess towards the shimmering chariot. Apollo was close behind. He hopped into the Maserati as I got into the chariot with his sister.

"See you two later," he called out as the car began to glow. I averted my eyes as an extreme wave of heat and light washed over my body. Soon it was dark again and I reopened my eyes to see Artemis staring at me.

"Ready?"

I nodded and tried to block out my thoughts of _I would have rather taken the sports car_. You know, just in case.

Within forty-five minutes Artemis had gotten me to Camp Half-Blood. She landed the chariot just outside the magical barrier. I stepped out and held out my hand to assist the huntress out of her chariot. She didn't move.

"I have places to be Percy Jackson," she smiled, "My Hunters await my return. I will bid Thalia hello. Be safe."

"Thank you Lady Artemis," I said, bowing my head. As my eyes met the ground, Artemis' chariot glowed bright silver, indicating she had returned to her godly form. When I straightened up, she was gone.

I turned and overlooked the camp that I had grown to love. Not far off, to my left, stood Thalia's pine tree. I smiled and began my journey down the hill, getting closer to the Big House. I had to find Chiron and find out what was going on.

I had barely reached the bottom of the hill when a flurry of blonde and orange came running at me. It was Annabeth, her hair flying all around in the cool spring breeze, wearing the trademark orange camp T-shirt.

She pulled me into a tight hug and I felt my face instantly flush. I was glad that bad weather couldn't get into the camp because I could barely imagine hugging Annabeth in the rain for as long as we were hugging now. Rain hugs had always struck me as oddly romantic. And after my conversation with Aphrodite that winter…

"Nice to see you again Seaweed Brain," Annabeth beamed, finally pulling away. I smiled.

"You too Wise Girl. How'd you get here so fast?"

"My dad flew me," she laughed, "I should ask you the same question."

"I hitched a ride with Artemis," I said, thinking about how absurd that sounded. Annabeth's grey eyes lit up.

"Did she mention Thalia?"

"She did," I nodded, "She said Thalia's doing pretty good. That's about all she got to say though. Apollo interrupted us." 

Annabeth nodded knowingly. There was no doubt in my mind that she was familiar with Apollo's ways. I could have kept the small-talk up with her all night, but there was something that was nagging me, something very big.

"Any ideas what this whole earlier summoning thing is about?"

Annabeth shook her head solemnly. There was a look of pure worry in her eyes, and I knew she was thinking of Nico. A silence had fallen between us; tense and nerve wrecking. I decided to break it.

"Want to go find out what we have to do with anything?" I asked. Annabeth shook her head again.

"I already asked Chiron," she explained, "He told me that he's not going to tell us anything until tomorrow, after we've had a good night's sleep."

"That can't be good," I muttered.

"Tell me about it," Annabeth said with a tiny yawn. I couldn't help but to smile. Her yawns were so…cute. No! I mentally slapped myself for thinking that.

"To bed?" I suggested.

"To bed," Annabeth agreed. We stalked off towards the semi-circle arrangement of cabins. I dropped Annabeth off at the Athena cabin and wished her a goodnight. Then I headed off for a lonely night in the Poseidon cabin. I drifted off to sleep slowly, thinking of what tomorrow would hold for Annabeth and me.

-x-x-x-

_A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter one. I hope you'll continue reading and reviewing this. I know this chapter was kind of slow-paced, but I'm building up to the actual plot-line. A lot will be revealed next chapter. Stay tuned! Cheers!_


	3. I Meet the Girl of My Dreams

_I Meet the Girl of my Dreams_

-x-x-x-

That night, I had a really strange dream. There was a girl sitting on the rocky outcrop of a mountain. Her jeans were ripped at the knees and not purposely like some people have done for style. Her ashen face was stained with dirt and tears fell from her stunning inky blue eyes, streaking the soot all over her face. Her arms and cheeks were full of scrapes, holding back drops of golden blood. She was a goddess.

The worst part of the entire dream was her scream though. It wasn't a scream of fear or anything. No, her shrieks were laced with pure agony. It was a heart-wrenching sound and, looking down on her, I wanted nothing more than to cover my ears.

But I couldn't. I was too busy shouting for help. I was shouting at the top of my lungs for someone to come save this girl, to rescue her from the pain that was so clearly destroying her.

No one was coming. The goddess was slowly fading, her figure becoming more and more transparent, until I could barely see her anymore. Finally, she met my eyes with a look of the deepest pain imaginable. In that moment my entire world froze.

"Help me," she whispered.

I woke with a start, the vivid images of my dream still fresh in my mind. Looking down, I noticed that I had kicked the covers right off the bed. With trembling hands, I picked them back up. I couldn't shake the picture of the screaming goddess and it was really bothering me. Could pain alone kill an immortal? I mean, Artemis had held the entire world on her shoulders and barely shed a tear.

What could possibly be so bad as to cause a goddess to cry out like that? More importantly, who was that girl? I needed to clear my mind and, upon looking outside, I realized that now was the perfect time to do so.

The sun was beginning to rise, a faint glow of orange creeping into my room through the cracks in the blinds. It was going to be a beautiful day. I got out of bed and quickly donned a pair of baggy jeans and my orange camp shirt. As I left my cabin, I took one last glance at the fountain in the far corner of my room; a gift from my father so I could stay in touch with my mother during the summer. I really should have called her last night, but I could do that later today. It was too early now anyways.

I walked from my cabin down to the lake to collect my thoughts. The water lapped up on the rocky shore and I stuck my hand out to touch it, instantly feeling all the grogginess slip away from my mind. That was a perk to being son of the sea god I guess.

I don't know how long I sat there before I heard a rustling in the leaves behind me. I turned around, remembering all too well how much had happened at this lake, but I saw nothing. Weird, but then again everything was weird for a half-blood. With a sigh, I turned back to the lake, intent upon sorting out my dream.

That wasn't going to happen because as soon as I began to focus again, Annabeth popped into the visible spectrum, her hands folding up her Yankees cap and stuffing it in the pocket of her jeans. I guess I must have shouted or yelped or something because Annabeth seemed to be doubled over in laughter.

"Did I scare you Seaweed Brain?" she giggled. My face was probably red and I wished it was still dark.

"No way," I retorted. Annabeth's laughs eventually died and we were left to sit in silence, overlooking the lake. The cool spring air blew over the lake sending chills down my spine despite the orange sunrise. It was beautiful. I chanced a look over at Annabeth, who was staring fixedly into the distance, a distant look in her eyes.

I thought back to my conversation with Aphrodite months earlier and how she had told me I was on a quest to find true love – a quest to find Annabeth. I had always thought about mentioning that conversation to Annabeth but I had never worked up the guts. I was pretty clueless when it came to girls. And besides, there had never been the right moment. Maybe now was that moment. I vaguely wondered if Annabeth would laugh at me. That would suck.

"Hey, Wise Girl?"

Annabeth turned in my direction, surveying me with her large grey eyes. She raised her eyebrows as an invitation for me to continue. Sucking in a deep breath and pushing back all my inhibitions, I opened my mouth to reply. I never got the chance.

Wouldn't it figure that at that precise moment, a satyr came bounding out of the trees. He skidded to a halt just before he toppled over on top of Annabeth and me.

"Chiron would like to see the both of you in the Big House," he announced excitedly. I could tell he was a new recruit. I instantly wondered where Grover was. Annabeth and I got up faster than Cerberus could deflate a beach ball. We were half way to the Big House before I had even registered the fact that I was standing.

Once we got there, I saw Mr. D – Dionysus – and Chiron sitting on the porch. They were in deep conversation with a girl who I had never seen before. She looked a couple of years older than Annabeth, maybe eighteen, with loose dark curls that hung to the middle of her back. As we approached, she looked up at me and I caught sight of her eyes; they were as dark blue as the night sky. The tiniest gasp escaped my lips. Annabeth shot me a quizzical glance.

"That's the girl from my dreams," I whispered. Only afterwards did I realize how stupid that had sounded. Annabeth just looked at me with a shocked expression. And then it hit me.

"No, no, not like that," I mumbled quickly as we padded up the steps of the porch, "I had a dream last night…I'll tell you later."

Annabeth nodded, a slight smirk on her lips, as we reached Chiron and friends. Chiron, in full centaur form, smiled at us both warmly. I can't say Dionysus did the same. He looked, as always, bored.

"Patrick Jonstone, Analise Cast, it's such a pleasure to see you again."

He was clearly lying. I didn't really care. I was more concerned with Chiron and asking him the hundreds of question burning on my mind. Not to mention that girl and who she was. I wasn't sure what to ask first.

"Chiron…" I began, but the centaur held up a hand to silence me. Apparently he wanted to talk first. Okay fine. I knew the way teachers were. Half the time, they'd explain something and that explanation would answer all the questions you had.

"Before we begin any sort of interrogation you may have Percy," he said, "I'd like you and Annabeth to meet a…new ally."

He motioned over to the girl seated beside him. Her pale lips spread into a thin smile a she studied me and Annabeth.

"This," Chiron continued, "Is Alethea, daughter of Hades and Persephone."

-x-x-x-

_A/N: Hello! Well, I want to thank you all once again for your amazing reviews. I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Please let me know what you think. Thanks so much. Cheers!_


	4. I Have The Smallest Family Reunion

_I Have the Smallest Family Reunion_

-x-x-x-

I blinked a few times, unable to believe my ears. At the back of my mind, I dimly wondered if I was still sleeping. I decided to put that age old test to work and pinched myself on the arm. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but the pinch hurt. I was, without a doubt, awake.

And so the question became not whether or not I was dreaming, but why Alethea was at Camp Half-Blood in the first place. No one was talking, so I figured it was high time I spoke up.

"So, you're a…"

"A goddess," Alethea interrupted me – which, by the way, was not cool – "Therefore not a child of the prophecy, like you cousin."

It took me a minute to process what she had just called me, and then I realized that her father was my uncle. We were cousins. So this was like some big family reunion. I wasn't so excited about that.

"So why are you here?"

Surprisingly, the question hadn't come from my mouth. I turned to my left, seeing Annabeth staring at Alethea expectantly. She had beaten me to the question. Alethea breathed out through her nose. She didn't seem annoyed. No, it was more like worried.

"I was the one who sent Chiron the Iris-Message concerning my half brother."

"Nico," I muttered, "But…"

"I was hidden," she cut me off again. That was starting to get really annoying. "I'm the daughter of Hades. You know, Lord of the Underworld with all the shadows and stuff. It's simple for me to blend into the darkness."

"So how are we involved in this entire thing?" asked Annabeth.

"It's really quite simple," Chiron began, "Hades sensed the power that Nico unleashed and, fearing the prophecy, sent Alethea to find him."

"And when I did," Alethea continued the story, "It was unpleasant. My mortal brother has been picked up by a former friend of yours. Luke, I believe."

I felt anger swell in my chest, not to mention guilt. I had lied to Chiron during the winter, not telling him of Nico's true parentage. And now, Luke had him as an ally. Luke, who was supposed to be dead. Once again, I looked over at Annabeth. She seemed torn between whether or not she should cry.

"So what do you want from us?" I asked, perhaps a bit louder and angrier than I intended. Alethea glared at me and I felt as though her icy eyes were shredding up my insides. She was actually pretty scary.

"I want nothing of you Son of Poseidon," she hissed vehemently, "It is Chiron who has selected you to accompany me on my quest."

"A quest?" Annabeth piped up, "To save Nico?"

"Precisely," Chiron nodded, "You see, Alethea is in a spot of trouble where she stands right now." At this, Dionysus chuckled slightly. I noticed my newfound cousin narrow her eyes in his direction. Let me tell you, if looks could kill, even an immortal would drop dead under one of her glares. But no matter how angry her eyes became, Alethea had a slight twinge of blush upon her cheeks. I wondered what sort of trouble she was in. Annabeth wondered the same thing, only she did it out loud, in the form of a question.

"I am a goddess by birth," Alethea answered eventually, her voice slow and steady, "And yet I have nothing to rule over. Not rain, nor wind, not even wine." The last part nearly made me laugh, what with the amount of contempt Alethea put into her voice.

"Why don't you have anything to rule?" Annabeth asked, a distant look of pity in her grey eyes.

"Because," Alethea replied coolly, "My parents never assigned me anything. For four hundred and fifty seven years they've been arguing. Father says shadows, but mother says tulips. Father says disease, but mother says apple trees. And because they can never decide, they won't give me anything."

I had to admit that her situation pretty much sucked. Every god or goddess I had ever met was proud over what they ruled, what they stood for. Yet, here was Alethea, not ruling anything all because her parents couldn't come to a unanimous decision. And so, it was proven that even immortals could have crummy parents.

"So how do we help?" I asked. Alethea surveyed me sideways. I could tell she was unsure what to think of me. No doubt, her father had taught her that I was an enemy – unable to be trusted. I'm sure; if I had ever had the chance to really talk to my father he would have told me the same thing about Alethea.

"You must help me save my brother. It is too great a task for me to do alone. There is an army gathering, greater than anything Olympus has ever seen. To infiltrate it will be difficult. However, if I complete the task and bring Nico back to the Underworld with me, I will finally have something to rule over. Something that I can choose myself. And so I called upon Chiron for help. He has provided me with the two of you…if you agree to help, that is."

I mulled it over for a little while. I was definitely leaning towards helping her. It didn't matter how distant; she was still family.

"I'll help," I nodded. Beside me, Annabeth nodded.

"Me too."

Alethea smiled, looking happier than I would have thought possible for someone coming from the Underworld. Chiron had a grin upon his face as well. I guessed he was proud that we had decided to be all brave.

"It's set," said Dionysus, "You all leave this evening after a visit to the Oracle. I believe the satyr will meet you somewhere along the way. And I get a little bit more free time before the rest of the brats invade this pit." Typical Mr. D answer, even though I knew he really cared. He had mentioned Grover though, and the fact that he would be joining us along the way. That was awesome news.

"Okay," Chiron held out his hand and helped Alethea out of her chair, "Up to the attic with you three. There's not a second to waste." He ushered the three of us into the Big House and we slowly made our way up to the attic. It was then that a thought struck me.

"Alethea?"

She turned to look at me, hands stuffed into the pockets of her jeans – which looked oddly familiar. At the moment, I really hoped my dream wouldn't come true.

"Have you met any dead people?"

She looked at me like I was stupidest person on Earth. Annabeth, who had been leading us up the stairs, turned and laughed.

"Percy, what kind of question is that?"

"I had an idea," I murmured.

"Do tell," Alethea invited me to speak. Not that I felt like it anymore. I didn't want to be looked at like I was an idiot again.

"Well…Nico had a sister. Bianca? She died during the winter and I was just wondering if you know her."

"I do," she replied, "She is very dear to Father. He specifically ordered Chiron to allow her entry right away. She lives in the Palace with us."

It was weird. Hades really loved his mortal children. Bianca pretty much bypassed death to become some sort of dead princess and Nico…well Hades was rather hell-bent on saving him from Luke – pardon the pun.

"Who was their mother?" I couldn't help but to ask. Alethea just smiled an all-knowing little smile.

"I believe you've met her before."

Before I could reply, Annabeth had thrown open the door to the attic, waiting for us to enter. I wasn't really ready yet. I had a couple more questions I wanted to ask my cousin. As we walked into the room full of ancient articles, I leaned closer to Alethea, not wanting Annabeth to hear the next question I asked. She was preoccupied anyways, sifting through various items to clear a path to the Oracle. It seemed that over the course of a few months, this place had gotten even more crowded.

"What about Luke?" I asked, "Is he down there?"

I know it was probably a stupid question. Alethea had even told us all that Nico had been taken in by Luke, but still, I couldn't believe that anyone survived a fall down a cliff. Alethea's eyes cast over to Annabeth and she looked terribly sad.

"Luke," she whispered into my ear, "His spirit is in possession of the Furies."

It was those words that made me realize just how bad this situation could become. The Furies had Luke's spirit, sure. But who on Earth had his body?

-x-x-x-

_A/N: I wonder, I wonder. Who has Luke's body? When will we find out? Ha-ha, thanks for all your reviews and please keep them coming. You're all awesome! Cheers!_


	5. I Get a Lesson in Names

_I Get a Lesson in Names_

-x-x-x-

When a person first sees a giant mummy clouded by green you'd expect them to have some sort of reaction, whether it is terrified or confused. However, the only response Alethea gave to the mummy was a stone-faced 'Oh.'

"What's wrong?" Annabeth asked, looking almost as confused as I felt. My first reaction to the Oracle had definitely been more…interesting than my cousin's. I'm sure Annabeth was thinking the same thing.

"That's the Oracle of Delphi," Alethea muttered darkly.

"Yeah and…?" I left the sentence open ended for Alethea to answer. But it seemed the one time I actually wanted her to finish my sentence was the one time she decided not to. Go figure. Finally, after a pretty long pause, she answered.

"It's Apollo's," she said, her voice full of distaste. I shot Annabeth a glance behind Alethea's back. She shrugged nonchalantly and turned back to the goddess, who was still staring at the mummified Oracle.

"What's wrong with…?"

"Are we supposed to talk to it?" Alethea interrupted me with a question. I nearly went all judo kicks and stuff right then and there. I really didn't understand what was so fascinating about not letting me finish my sentences. Again, I looked over at Annabeth for some defence, but she was just staring at the ground intently, an almost sad look in her eyes. She definitely knew something I didn't. Inside my head, I rolled my eyes. I really didn't get girls.

"Uhh…yeah," I answered, because Annabeth seemed lost in day dream land, "Just ask it a question."

Alethea recessed into deep thought and a silence fell upon the attic. It was especially creepy because the mummy seemed to be watching us. Finally, Alethea cleared her throat and looked directly at the Oracle.

"How do we save Nico?"

There was a slight hissing sound and the Oracle began to billow green smoke, which snaked around Alethea's legs, spiralling in tendrils around her arms and waist. She looked downright disgusted. Not afraid or freaked out, just really appalled. It was actually pretty funny. I might have laughed if the hissing voice of the Oracle didn't begin to talk. I really needed to start keeping an interruption count.

"_The hero shall return west,_

_Meet the shadows once more._

_Beware the dreams that tell the truth,_

_And soon one will be proven best."_

The extremely creepy voice faded away and the green smoke retracted away from Alethea, who immediately looked at me. I kind of sensed murder in her eyes and backed away a few steps, right into Annabeth. Needless to say, I blushed.

"What does it mean?" Alethea asked, instantly destroying any awkwardness that had built up between me and Annabeth.

"West," I muttered, starting my attempt to decipher the words of Apollo's Oracle, "It says that we'll return west. So…somewhere we've been before?" I heard Annabeth give a little gasp and turned to face her.

"The shadows," she said, "We're going back to Los Angeles."

"We're going back there?" Alethea asked, confused, "But I just came from there. I'm supposed to be on a quest. I'm not returning to father until I have Nico."

Then I had the most brilliant idea ever. Seriously, it could have been recorded in the book of world records or something. It was that good.

"I think we have to find Bianca."

Annabeth looked at me like I had lost it. And she had this sort of frown on her face, somewhere between pity and sadness. She placed her hand gently on my shoulder.

"Percy," she said softly, "Bianca's dead. You know that." I was tempted to shout 'duh' but I held back. Instead I nodded excitedly. It was then that Alethea seemed to catch my drift.

"We have to bring Bianca back to the land of the living?"

"She's the only one who can talk any sense into Nico," I said with a nod, "Her death is the reason Nico ran away in the first place."

"Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed, wrapping her arms around my neck, "You're a genius! That's…brilliant."

"Thanks," I blushed, "But is it possible?" All four of our eyes fell onto Alethea who had her lips pursed. She shrugged slightly.

"It may be," she said, "It's been…almost done before. We just have to go about it the right way. But what about the second part of the prophecy?"

"Not sure," I answered, "But we'll worry about that when we get to it. For now, let's get this show on the road."

We hurried out of the attic and right back outside, where Chiron and Dionysus were still playing pinochle. When we bustled out onto the porch, Chiron looked up at us, obviously anxious to learn what we had heard from the Oracle. I explained the story and our entire plan with, surprisingly, no interruptions from either Annabeth or Alethea. Once I had finished I studied Chiron to see what his reaction would be. He seemed thoughtful, with a small smile playing on his lips. Dionysus still looked bored. Chiron told us that the sooner we got to L.A the better.

And so we set off that evening, Argus driving us to Brooklyn where we would catch the midnight train. Chiron had suggested that we try and get some sleep during the train ride. I always said that Chiron was super smart.

So it was about a quarter after eleven when Argus left us at the train station. It was dark and there were some pretty shady people hanging around. I looked over at Alethea, who was probably new to all this. I noticed that she kept glancing over her shoulder nervously at this guy who was doing skateboard tricks.

"Scared?" I asked her in a joking tone. She whipped around to glare at me with eagle eyes. I'm not going to lie. She looked really mad.

"Scared?" she echoed, "I'm not scared Percy Jackson. I live on the edge of Tartarus. My daily chores include feeding Cerberus. I don't scare easily."

And that was that. She turned her back on me, still glancing nervously at the blond skateboarder, who for some reason looked oddly familiar. I decided not to make another remark. At least not one that Alethea would hear. Instead I turned to Annabeth.

"She's lying," I muttered under my breath, "This is her eternal life on the line. She's definitely scared." Annabeth huffed and rolled her eyes at me.

"What was that for?" I asked. 

"Because you're wrong," Annabeth sighed, "She's not scared." 

"How do you know?" 

"Her name is a curse," Annabeth informed me, "Alethea means 'truthful one'. She can never tell a lie. It's a…enchantment Persephone placed on her when she was born. The Queen did not want to raise a liar."

"Well that sucks," I mumbled. Annabeth nodded in agreement. Neither of us had any idea just how much it really did suck.

-x-x-x-

_A/N: Well, what did you think? A bit too boring, in my opinion. Sorry the wait was so long. I'll try to make the updates come quicker. And I also promise the next chapter has more action. And we'll see a hint of romance. Between who? We shall see. Cheers! Oh yes, and review please!_


	6. We Throw an Island Party

**We Throw an Island Party**

When we stepped onto the train, I saw something I totally hadn't expected. My best friend Grover was sitting there, fake feet and all, munching on a can of cola. I'm sure that if there had been other people in the cart they would have seen him simply quenching his thirst. I've always wondered what life would be like if I couldn't see through the mist at all. Things would probably be easier.

"Percy," he bleated happily when he saw me, "Long time no see."

"G-Man," I greeted him back, "Tell me about it. How did things go, looking for Pan?"

"I was about halfway to New Mexico when Chiron called me back and told me to meet you on this train…not that I mind though, so don't worry." He smiled at me and then stood to hug Annabeth. It was weird though, because when they hugged they kind of made eye contact for a split second and I could sense some sort of communication taking place. Before I could ask what was going on, Grover changed the subject, looking at Alethea with extreme interest.

"I'm Grover," he said, holding out a hand. Alethea smiled slightly and took it, shaking it gently.

"Alethea," she introduced herself, "Daughter of Hades and Persephone." I wish I had a camera to capture Grover's face the moment Alethea revealed who she was. He looked so shocked and so happy, all at the same time. It was even funnier than when he had met Artemis and her Hunters in the winter. He instantly kneeled on one knee. Alethea looked at him with a stiff expression.

"You don't have to bow to me," she said quietly. Grover stood up straight, an extremely confused look on his face.

"Of course I do," he argued, "Your mother is goddess of springtime. She brings all that is good into the world."

"Then bow to her," Alethea replied, a definite coolness edging into her voice. I put my hand on Grover's shoulder – hoping he would get the hint to drop it. Apparently he did, because he closed his mouth and sat back down in his seat. Annabeth, Alethea, and I followed suit.

The train ride was long, lasting all night. We took shifts staying up and watching over everyone else. As a half-blood you could never be too careful, especially with the most evil of all ancient evils slowly being put together by someone you once called a friend. I got another weird vibe that night when I woke up to the sound of two voices, talking quickly in hushed tones. After I blinked the sleep out of my eyes, I noticed that the voices belonged to Annabeth and Grover, who were whispering to each other. I really wished they wouldn't have noticed me, because when they did, they instantly shut their mouths and put on big smiles.

"Your shift doesn't start for another half hour Percy," Annabeth told me, "You might as well go back to sleep.

"I think I'll stay up," I mumbled, "What were you guys talking about anyways?" My two friends exchanged quick glances.

"Nothing," Grover said, "Nothing important."

"Right," Annabeth agreed with a nod, "Were you sleeping well?" Oh yeah Annabeth, great way to change the subject. I nodded curtly and silence fell onto the cart, broken only by Alethea's extremely soft breathing. I looked over at her and noticed that even as she slept, she looked troubled. She looked troubled, and I sure felt troubled. I had no idea what was going on between Annabeth and Grover, but I sincerely hoped it wasn't what I thought. That would just be way too weird. And besides Aphrodite had told me about my feelings for Annabeth. That had to be some sort of sign. I barely even noticed as Grover and Annabeth slowly drifted off to sleep, leaving me alone with my thoughts, which just happened to include me wondering if anyone knew what tomorrow was. I hoped not.

-----

By morning, we had reached Chicago, where we were supposed to disembark and catch another train in mid-afternoon. We left the train station and started our walk around the downtown area in order to kill some time. There was only one thing that was sort of nagging me and that was the fact that I had seen the blond skateboarder get off the train as well. There was definitely something weird about him, but for the moment, I had more important things on my mind.

"I like this city," Alethea announced as we strolled down the sun soaked street.

"Me too," Annabeth said, "There are some really nice monuments, like the Harbour Lighthouse. I was hoping we could go and visit there before we leave." She looked at me as she said that, a tiny smile spread on her lips. She was so cute.

"Yeah, no problem," I said, "How about we head down there now?" Annabeth looked absolutely delighted as I hailed us a cab. I had forgotten than I had no money to pay for it until we were actually sitting inside. I whispered this to Grover, but apparently Alethea heard too, because she told me not to worry about it and pulled a handful of drachmas out of her pocket.

"I don't think we can pay with those," I muttered.

"We don't have to," Alethea said, rolling her eyes at me. Before I knew what was going on, the drachmas turned into American coins and Alethea pocketed them again, winking at me in the process. Once we reached Chicago Harbour, we paid the cab driver and headed out onto the pier, staring out at the lighthouse. For some reason I kept thinking of how I'd like to take Annabeth there on a date. I mean, it was the perfect mix of architecture and the ocean. Yeah, a date would have been alright, but I certainly didn't mind that Grover and Alethea were with us.

"Are we going to swim out there?" Alethea asked, looking a bit uneasy.

"Why not?" I answered with another question. My goddess cousin looked like she really didn't want to answer. Her lips were pursed tight, but I stood there with a stone-face, waiting for her to speak. After a little while, she realized it was futile not to answer, so she caved with a big sigh.

"It's the ocean," she mumbled, "Poseidon's kingdom." Ah, well that made sense. I'm sure Alethea had never been swimming before, seeing as how all the bodies of water in the Underworld were pretty uninviting. You know, the river of fire, the river of hate, the river of forgetfulness.

"It'll be fine," I assured her, "You're with me." Annabeth nodded, backing me up.

"I was never a big fan of the water either," she told Alethea, "So don't worry." Alethea bit her bottom lip, but nodded. I said a quick word to my dad, asking us for some help and he must have been listening because when the four of us climbed out to the island that the lighthouse was situated on, we weren't wet. Not even Grover's backpack was dripping.

"It's beautiful," Annabeth gasped, walking up to the building and running her fingers over the smooth exterior.

"Pretty impressive," Alethea murmured, which I knew meant she loved it. Grover and I were off to the side. I noticed that he kept looking at me funny. Finally I turned around to ask what was going on.

"Why are you looking at me?" 

"I'm not!" Grover insisted. I was not going to be fooled that easily.

"You are too. And what's going on between you and Annabeth?" I was getting pretty angry, I guess, because Alethea and Annabeth came up behind Grover, looking at me like I was going nuts.

"Percy," Annabeth whispered, "What on Earth are you talking about?"

"Last night," I sort of shouted back, "You guys were acting weird…like I was interrupting something."

"Oh," Annabeth sighed, "Percy we…we were…Grover, just show him." Grover nodded quickly and put his backpack on the floor, rummaging through it. He pulled out a big bottle of red liquid and a pack of store bought cupcakes. I instantly felt like a jerk.

"Happy birthday Percy," Annabeth smiled.

"Happy birthday buddy," Grover said, punching me playfully in the shoulder, "Sorry we were so hushed up about it. We wanted it to be a surprise." I smiled and thanked them. And then I looked over at Alethea.

"I didn't know," she said, "But happy birthday. Shall we?" She motioned over to Grover and Annabeth who were seated on the grass, opening up the cupcakes. We joined them and I got a loud chorus of the birthday song. It was really cool, but there was still something bothering me.

"So, whose idea was this?" I asked. Grover looked directly at Annabeth and pointed at her. Inside, I felt fireworks going off. Annabeth had planned this whole thing. I looked up at her and noticed she was blushing, avoiding my gaze. I heard Alethea clear her throat and watched as she grabbed Grover by the shirt.

"Come on satyr, let's go take a look around," she pushed him into a standing position, "And what's that read stuff?" 

"Juice," Grover answered, apparently getting the hint that he was supposed to leave.

"Bring it," Alethea said, "I want to try some." And with that, the two of them set off, leaving Annabeth and I alone. There were a few moments of heavy silence as Grover and Alethea's footsteps faded.

"Did you like it?" Annabeth asked finally. 

"Huh?" 

"The surprise," she clarified, "Did you like it?" 

"I did," I nodded, "But…I mean, there's really nothing to celebrate. I'm one more year closer to deciding the fate of the world."

"Percy…" she began, but I cut her off.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," I said, "It's so much for one person to carry on their shoulders. I hate this. It's definitely not worth celebrating."

"Don't say that!" Annabeth gasped, "It's your birthday and it's important to me, even if you think otherwise." I opened my mouth to reply, but I never got the chance, because at that moment, Grover came bounding towards us, his face contorted in fear. I noticed his clothes were stained with red.

"Guys," he shouted from far away, "Big problem!"

-x-x-x-

_A/N: Sorry my update took forever, I've been busy. But uh-oh! What has happened? We'll just wait and see, won't we? Please review and let me know what you think. And I'm sorry if I'm off on details about the Lighthouse. Cheers!_


	7. Author's Note Temporary

Dear Readers,

Dear Readers,

I know I have horribly neglected this story, and it was one of my favourites to write. I truly hope you can all forgive me and listen up to my little announcement.

**I will be continuing this story and there will be an update by the end of the week. Please keep in mind that since I plotted out the whole storyline before BOTL, we will pretend that it hasn't been published yet. Although, reading the book, a lot of my predictions came true, so you may see some parallels. **

Again, I apologize for the wait and I truly appreciate anyone who will continue to read and review this story.

Cheers, Livvie

P.S I know this kind of breaks the rules, but I will erase this message after I finish writing the next chapter.


	8. I Fail to Get a Good Lesson in Love

**I Fail to Get a Good Lesson in Love**

Annabeth and I jumped to our feet immediately and ran towards Grover. He stopped, just before colliding with us, panting and trying to spit out his words. I patted his back, hoping to get him to calm down, but apparently it wasn't working.

"Wait a minute," Annabeth said quietly, "Where's Alethea?" All at once, I seemed to realize Grover's urgency, his fearful eyes, and his red-stained clothing. My heart sank. There was no way we could have already lost a friend, not this early into our adventure. Before my brain even sent out the command, my legs were running at top speed in the direction that Grover had come from. I didn't care if there was some huge bloodthirsty monster waiting for me. All I knew was that someone needed my help. I heard Annabeth calling my name, and I could tell she was following on my heels. At least I'd have some help. I ran around the lighthouse and what I saw scared the daylights out of me.

There was no demonic beast; not even close. Instead, I saw something that I was sure I had seen before. Alethea, with her dark hair thrashing about, was screaming at the top of her lungs, crying out for help. Her face was twisted with agony and I could barely stand to look at her. Her body shook violently, racked with sobs and tight gasps of air. Golden blood dripped from her cheeks as her fingers clawed at them.

"Grover what happened to her?" I shouted. Grover, who had just come up beside me, said nothing. All he could do was stare in shock at the writhing goddess in front of us.

"Percy, do something," I heard Annabeth urging me to action. Well, I was trying really hard to think of something to do and I was praying to every god I was on good terms with that an idea would strike me soon. And then something amazing happened.

There was a huge roar and an intense black Mustang came roaring from around the corner of the lighthouse. The breaks squealed and the car stopped just a few metres from Alethea. Out hopped the blonde skateboarder from the train station with a look of grim determination on his face. He approached Alethea and kneeled down beside her.

"I knew he looked familiar," Annabeth hissed in my ear. I couldn't help but to feel a wave of relief when as I nodded. Apollo was the god of healing. If anyone could help my cousin, it would be him. Annabeth, Grover, and I watched in awe as Apollo's hands began to glow silver. He placed them on Alethea's forehead and her screams stopped. Soon, she was lying perfectly still on the grass. Apollo stepped back with a smug grin on his face.

"What's up kiddos?"

"Is she okay?" I asked, afraid that those awful screams would start up again.

"She'll be fine," Apollo assured me, "Just wait until she wakes up and sees me here…her saviour. Goat-man I got to thank you for giving me a chance."

"Me?" Grover looked startled, "What did I do?"

"Did Alethea drink any of that juice?" Apollo asked. Grover nodded. The blond god nodded all knowingly, "And what is in said juice?"

"Umm, apples, raspberries, apricot…"

"Pomegranate?"

We all turned to look at Alethea, who had asked the question. She was standing up now and looked fine, other than the fact she was a bit pale, even for a goddess. There were slight pink marks on her cheeks, but nothing that looked like it would scar.

"Yeah…" Grover trailed off, "Am I missing something?"

"Clearly," Alethea hissed, "I'm cursed. I can't eat pomegranates. I guess you could say I'm allergic thanks to my mother." Grover looked a little bashful and began to shuffle his sneaker-clad hooves around on the grass. I wondered what Alethea was so upset about. I mean, someone just saved her life and here she was snapping at Grover and looking angry. You know, I would have sent someone a thank-you card, at least. Finally, she rounded on Apollo and I swear I could see steam shooting out her ears.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was low and dangerous and I noticed her hands clenching into fists. I wondered vaguely if she would actually punch Apollo and if maybe we should take a few steps away.

"Come on," Apollo's face cracked into a playful grin, "I saved your life. At least pretend to be happy to see me."

"I'm from the Underworld," Alethea rolled her eyes; "I wouldn't have died."

"But you would have been in pain for a long time," Apollo said, his voice all-knowing. I figured if he didn't want to get a broken nose, he would step off.

"Go back to Olympus," Alethea muttered, turning away from Apollo. He looked slightly put out, and I could definitely understand how he felt. Trying to get a girl to like you is hard. I'd rather fight a blood thirsty monster any day.

"Don't I get a thank you?" Apollo had taken a few steps forward, which I thought pretty brave…or pretty stupid. I mean, I had seen what sort of powers a demi-god kid of Hades could use, I could only imagine what damage an immortal one could do.

"Thank you," Alethea muttered so quietly I wondered if I was hearing things.

"What about a date?"

Okay, now he was pushing his luck. But I had to say, he was pretty smart not using any of his poetry. That definitely would have gotten him kicked all the way back to ancient Greece.

"Look," Alethea's voice was louder now, and very blunt, "I am not interested in you. I never have been, I never will be. It's been nearly a century. Get over it."

And with that she stalked off, Grover prancing behind her, probably to apologize a hundred and one times. Annabeth followed close behind them, probably to make sure that Grover was kept in once piece for the rest of the day. Then, it was just Apollo and me in the clearing, but he didn't seem like he was all there. He was watching Alethea storm off into the horizon. The silence was getting kind of awkward, so I decided to do something about it, instead of just standing there like a stump.

"Lord Apollo?"

The god looked down at me and I noticed that a grin was still playing upon his lips. If I had been rejected that badly, I definitely would not have a smile on my face. In fact, it'd be a downright frown.

"She totally digs me dude," Apollo said, "She just can't admit it. I'll get her though."

His eyes rose again to watch Alethea, who I could barely see by now. And from the love struck look on his face, I didn't think it was a good idea, nor did I have the heart to tell Apollo that Alethea never lied.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x-_

_Author's Note: Not the best chapter, but I'm getting back into the swing of things. The next one will be better, I promise._

_Cheers!Liv_


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